Orton is getting $5 Million this year, yeah he's a back-up QB

[Don't Panic]

Re: Orton is getting $5 Million this year, yeah he's a back-up QB

I'm less concerned about the money (which is no where near starter money) and more concerned about the impression this leaves that they don't seem to know what they're doing. I get that the Dougs are a little over a year into their gigs and that there is still a lot to be learned, but this just gives the perception that they are incompetent about some major personnel issues. This can be survived, but it is hardly a good sign.

[OpIv37]

Re: Orton is getting $5 Million this year, yeah he's a back-up QB

Would you like him to just pull a Matrix and it's all Piped into his brain ?

What I would like is that the team realized that the backup situation was a cluster**** months ago and had a viable backup in camp. In the end we got a better player as a backup, but at the expense of systems knowledge.

It's organizational dysfunction at an absurd level.

[YardRat]

Re: Orton is getting $5 Million this year, yeah he's a back-up QB

What I would like is that the team realized that the backup situation was a cluster**** months ago and had a viable backup in camp. In the end we got a better player as a backup, but at the expense of systems knowledge.

It's organizational dysfunction at an absurd level.

Who did you want them to pick up months ago?

[YardRat]

Re: Orton is getting $5 Million this year, yeah he's a back-up QB

Here's a list, just to refresh anybody's memory...


Derek Anderson, Carolina Panthers
Jimmy Clausen, Carolina Panthers
Kellen Clemens, St. Louis Rams
Matt Flynn, Green Bay Packers
Josh Freeman, Minnesota Vikings
David Garrard, New York Jets
Rex Grossman, Washington Redskins
Shaun Hill, Detroit Lions
Tarvaris Jackson, Seattle Seahawks
Jon Kitna, Dallas Cowboys
Josh McCown, Chicago Bears
Luke McCown, New Orleans Saints
Colt McCoy, San Francisco 49ers
Dan Orlovsky, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Curtis Painter, New York Giants
Jordan Palmer, Chicago Bears
Brady Quinn, St. Louis Rams
Rusty Smith, Tennessee Titans
Michael Vick, Philadelphia Eagles
Seneca Wallace, Green Bay Packers
Charlie Whitehurst, San Diego Chargers

[jimbohastle51]

Re: Orton is getting $5 Million this year, yeah he's a back-up QB

Orton threatened retirement so he could get cut and find a team with a chance to play... Then does the smart thing and waits out the pre season for an injury to occur. After the Bradford injury as well as other teams with shaky qb play his services come into demand. He then commands a ridiculous amount of money from a qb hungry team (the bills) and gets paid. Well done sir.

You can be mad at the Bills for signing him but do not be mad at him for getting paid well for his services. He rolled the dice by demanding out of Dallas and it paid off for him. You are worth what they will pay you.

As far as him as a fit for Buffalo... I feel he is better than qb's like Cassel, Henne, and Locker but not as good as qb's like C. Palmer, P. Rivers, or Dalton. He fits the Alex Smith mold IMO. A guy that can move an offense and not make a ton of mistakes but he is not a guy who will win games from behind in the 4th quarter. Or blow you away by his play. He was definetly the best QB available in a poor QB market and was the recipient of a grossly high salary because of it. Given the situation that Buffalo put themselves in, they could do worse... It could be EJ, and Tuel going into next Sunday.

[Meathead]

Re: Orton is getting $5 Million this year, yeah he's a back-up QB

why would he come here if he coulda gone to the rams and started

[better days]

Re: Orton is getting $5 Million this year, yeah he's a back-up QB

why would he come here if he coulda gone to the rams and started

$5 Million plus an option for a 2nd year.

[OpIv37]

Re: Orton is getting $5 Million this year, yeah he's a back-up QB

Who did you want them to pick up months ago?

Don't ask me. Ask the asshats who get paid millions to run this team, and continue to get paid millions despite repeated failures.

[jimbohastle51]

Re: Orton is getting $5 Million this year, yeah he's a back-up QB

why would he come here if he coulda gone to the rams and started

1) because the Bills offered 5 million and the Rams already have a couple mil invested in Shaun Hill. So if in fact the Rams were interested in Orton they would have had to pay up to a guy that had not been through camp and OTA's as Hill has (and Hill has not looked bad).

2) He has been around and I am sure he knows the chance are in his favor as far as learning the playbook and getting a chance to play.

[starrymessenger]

Re: Orton is getting $5 Million this year, yeah he's a back-up QB

1) because the Bills offered 5 million and the Rams already have a couple mil invested in Shaun Hill. So if in fact the Rams were interested in Orton they would have had to pay up to a guy that had not been through camp and OTA's as Hill has (and Hill has not looked bad).

2) He has been around and I am sure he knows the chance are in his favor as far as learning the playbook and getting a chance to play.

He will be up to speed very quickly.
He's seen a lot of systems in all his years in the league and looks to be a savvy vet.

[HHURRICANE]

Re: Orton is getting $5 Million this year, yeah he's a back-up QB

Can we not ***** about every single move? We needed a backup and we got, IMO, a very good one. Orton wasn't coming here any sooner than he did for multiple reasons.

Thad Lewis obviously took multiple steps back and that created the hole in the first place. I'd like to know what QB we should have picked up 4 months ago not knowing that Lewis would implode?

[JohnnyGold]

Re: Orton is getting $5 Million this year, yeah he's a back-up QB

I woke up and heard that news yesterday, and was immediately relieved/optimistic for the season, a feeling I haven't had all summer... in fact, the last time I went into a season this excited was 2012. I thought Wannstedt and Mario Williams would turn around a defense that would have the Fitzpatrick led Bills back in the playoffs! Week 1 against the Jets killed that...

Back to this year: I explained it to my wife like this. Before we signed Orton, there were 4 scenarios in play. Here they are, ranked in order of how beneficial they would be to us as Bills fans, and what I thought/think were the likelihood of the scenarios taking place:

1) EJ plays well, the Bills make the playoffs (15%)
2) EJ plays poorly, Tuel takes over early in the season, the Bills make the playoffs (0%)
3) EJ plays poorly, is given the year to "learn on the job" the Bills miss the playoffs with 4-6 wins (42.5%)
4) EJ plays poorly/is injured/Tuel does or does not take over, regardless, the Bills win 0-2 games (42.5%)

Obviously these odds aren't from a Vegas book, but to me, the coin flip didn't seem to be between whether or not we were going to make the playoffs, but rather would we be giving the first overall pick in the draft to Cleveland.

But now, our floor has been raised.
1) EJ plays well, the Bills make the playoffs (15%)
2) EJ plays poorly, Orton takes over early, the Bills make the playoffs (40%)
3) EJ plays poorly, Orton takes over, the Bills don't make the playoffs, but finish 7-9, 6-10 (40%)
4) EJ plays poorly, is given the whole year to "learn the job" and the Bills finish league worst 2-14 (5%)

So to try and quantify the football viewing experience of a Bills fan... in my mind now, there's a 55% chance we get a wildcard, but only a 5% chance that this season is such a trainwreck that I'm going to be questioning why I even watch this garbage by Thanksgiving... whereas before Orton, playoffs were only 15%, but the real 50/50 bet was on whether we would be giving Cleveland the first overall pick.

It's the difference in losing 2000$ at the casino the day after you paid your mortgage... or bringing your mortgage check to the casino the day before it's due to try and double down.

[kishoph]

Re: Orton is getting $5 Million this year, yeah he's a back-up QB

How do you try to sign a guy for a few months when he was under contract elsewhere still a little over a month ago?

Didn't read the Tim Graham article, but maybe the Bills were trying to work a trade with Dallas. Don't know, really don't care, he's here now and hopefully he'll help in some way.

[YardRat]

Re: Orton is getting $5 Million this year, yeah he's a back-up QB

Don't ask me. Ask the asshats who get paid millions to run this team, and continue to get paid millions despite repeated failures.

If you can point out a front office, any front office in the NFL, that doesn't have a list of repeated failures on their resume as they are trying to build or maintain a team please point them out.

Thanks in advance.

'Don't ask me'? What the hell kind of response is that? Especially from somebody that hangs his hat on being smarter than the guys in charge? If you can't come up with a better option as to what the FO should have done, maybe you should just STFU.

[swiper]

Re: Orton is getting $5 Million this year, yeah he's a back-up QB

Orton threatened retirement so he could get cut and find a team with a chance to play... Then does the smart thing and waits out the pre season for an injury to occur. After the Bradford injury as well as other teams with shaky qb play his services come into demand. He then commands a ridiculous amount of money from a qb hungry team (the bills) and gets paid. Well done sir.

You can be mad at the Bills for signing him but do not be mad at him for getting paid well for his services. He rolled the dice by demanding out of Dallas and it paid off for him. You are worth what they will pay you.

As far as him as a fit for Buffalo... I feel he is better than qb's like Cassel, Henne, and Locker but not as good as qb's like C. Palmer, P. Rivers, or Dalton. He fits the Alex Smith mold IMO. A guy that can move an offense and not make a ton of mistakes but he is not a guy who will win games from behind in the 4th quarter. Or blow you away by his play. He was definetly the best QB available in a poor QB market and was the recipient of a grossly high salary because of it. Given the situation that Buffalo put themselves in, they could do worse... It could be EJ, and Tuel going into next Sunday.

Good post.